Quiet Stories is an Auckland based video game developer, dedicated to telling interactive stories and tackling New Zealand's youth mental health problem. However there is one thing we care about more than making games, and that's playing games! Every week on this blog we share podcasts, videos and articles where we celebrate, analyse and interview other incredibly talented developers in the industry. So for an abundance of gaming content check out Quiet Stories on Twitter (OurQuietStories) or on YouTube and Facebook (Quiet Stories).

Quiet Stories’ Book Club: July 2018 (First Half)

This is the Quiet Stories’ Book Club, a monthly series where we challenge you to beat at least one of the games on our list. We’ll have expansive and time consuming games, for gamers on a limited budget. We’ll have smaller, more digestible titles, for gamers with little spare time. We’ll showcase a variety of genres and platforms. We’ll recommend the newest, most talked about games, and some older titles that you probably heard about but didn’t give the time of day to. The point is, we’ll have something to cater to everyone’s needs. Hopefully you’ll end up trying something new or discover a hidden gem.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC

Estimated Time to Finish: 15 Hours

Deus Ex isn’t quite a first person shooter, and it isn’t quite an RPG. There are a range of upgrade options and weapons to test out, and much like Prey you’ll have a multitude of ways of utilizing them all. The story may be hard to follow/ retain interest in at points, but it’s a unique cyberpunk experience none the less.

Batman: The Enemy Within

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Mobile

Estimated Time to Finish: 10 Hours

It isn’t quite as good as Telltale’s The Walking Dead or Wolf Among Us, but it’s vastly better than the first game in the series. Not only does The Enemy Within take the overused Joker and spin him on his head, but they manage to tell a Batman narrative that compares to Rocksteady’s Arkham series in quality.

Friday the 13th

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC

Estimated Time to Finish: 40 Hours

Friday the 13th is an intriguing multiplayer experience that aims to replicate every ounce of gore and teenage adultery from the films. Several campers must work together to defeat the slow but ever-hunting Jason, in a range of maps and scenarios from across the series. For lovers of single player, the games challenge scenarios allow you to have plenty of fun all on your lonesome.

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Platforms: PlayStation 4

Estimated Time to Finish: 10.5 Hours

If you were a Nintendo kid, you grew up with Mario. If you were a PlayStation kid, you grew up with Jak and Daxter. Why not take a trip down memory lane, before the Last of Us, before Uncharted, and enjoy an amazing platformer from one of the best developers in the world.

Don’t Starve

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC and Mobile

Estimated Time to Finish: 36 Hours

Don’t Starve is a survival game that can take as little or long as you like to finish. There is always something new to build and scavenge for, but don’t be put off. Despite being a survival game, Don’t Starve is easy to pick up and complemented by a Tim Burton-like art style.

Past Cure

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC

Estimated Time to Finish: 4 Hours

You need to know what to expect if you’re going to enjoy Past Cure. It may look like it, but this isn’t a big AAA title. Past Cure finds itself somewhere between A Way Out and Beyond: Two Souls. With questionable dialogue and unforgiving combat, it doesn’t quite nail what it’s going for, but it’s an enjoyable experience for a gamer looking for something short but cinematic.

Trials Fusion

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC

Estimated Time to Finish: 6.5 Hours

You don’t have to be a motorbike enthusiast or racing game lover, to enjoy Trials Fusion. The careful balancing act of ensuring you don’t face plant after a jump, while still maintaining optimal speed, provides the most addictive trial and error gameplay of the last decade. Not only will you have a blast on your own, but this is also a fantastic party game.